During 2005 the UK’s broadband ISP market became increasingly commoditised. AOL’s business model meant it would ultimately be a loser in a war dominated by speed and price. We had to reframe the debate. The /discuss campaign was designed with that purpose. It was intended to provoke consideration and debate around the fundamental issues of the internet. How is this powerful technology humanising our lives and how is it corroding them? In keeping with the spirit of the medium, the campaign encouraged the expression of opinion. By de-commoditising the market, AOL’s added-value services have meaning and worth to the consumer.

The /discuss idea launched with two 60” brand commercials for television and cinema, national press executions, online, 96/48/6 sheet executions and special builds.

Television commercials designed to raise issues germane to AOL’s added-value products and services followed, as did DRTV and press, retail sales promotion and DM.The campaign’s centre-piece is a website designed to act as a forum for debate. To date, 34 articles have appeared on the site, written by authors as diverse as Will Self, Desmond Morris and Alistair Campbell. These essays have acted as stimulus for thousands of consumer postings, which now richly populate the site.